hung4 hung3 seoi2紅汞水红汞水
Jyutpinghung4 hung3 seoi2
Yalehùhng hung séui
Definition
Mercurochrome, also known as red medicine.
colloquialhealth
How it's used
People in Hong Kong almost exclusively use the term 紅藥水 instead of the technically accurate chemical name 紅汞水. Using the full name sounds overly clinical or like reading a medical textbook, whereas 紅藥水 is the household term everyone understands for general antiseptic liquid.
Measure word
zeon1樽jēunExamples
Your knee is scraped, remember to apply some mercurochrome.
Is there any mercurochrome left at home?
Related words
Common phrases
apply mercurochrome
Common mistake
Do not be surprised if a pharmacist or a local person looks confused if you ask for 紅汞水, as it is rarely used in casual speech despite being the correct name for the substance.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
